Updated documentation (David).

git-svn-id: https://crawl-ref.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/crawl-ref/trunk@639 c06c8d41-db1a-0410-9941-cceddc491573

1 files changed, 39 insertions, 44 deletions

diff --git a/crawl-ref/readme.txt b/crawl-ref/readme.txt
index 0fd1b23ead..57f7f80161 100644
--- a/crawl-ref/readme.txt
+++ b/crawl-ref/readme.txt
@@ -1,15 +1,13 @@
                             Crawl Quick-Start Guide
                         (Copyright 1999 Linley Henzell)
 
-So, you want to start playing Crawl straight away without bothering with the
-manual? Read this, the guide to starting Crawl with a minimum of preparation.
-When you get some more time, you can read crawl_manual.txt in the Docs directory
-for more detailed information. Also take a look at README.stone_soup.txt - this
-is not the official distribution of Linley's Dungeon Crawl.
+So, you want to start playing Crawl straight away without bothering with the 
+manual? Read this, the guide to starting Crawl with a minimum of preparation. 
+When you get some more time, you can read crawl_manual.txt in the Docs 
+directory for more detailed information.
 
-I suggest printing out this file and following its instructions while playing
-your first few games (you can also press '?' while playing for a list of
-commands). 
+I suggest printing it out and following its instructions while playing your 
+first few games (you can also press '?' while playing for a list of commands). 
 
  INTRODUCTION TO CRAWL 
 
@@ -36,23 +34,23 @@ weapons. I suggest an axe (axes are fun).
 
 Now you are in the game. The game screen has three parts:
  - the Map takes up the upper left part of the screen. In its very centre is 
-the @ sign which represents You. The coloured parts of the Map are the parts 
-you can see, while places which you have visited before but cannot currently 
-see are shown in grey.
+   the @ sign which represents You. The coloured parts of the Map are the parts 
+   you can see, while places which you have visited before but cannot currently 
+   see are shown in grey.
  - the Message box is the large part of the screen below the map. It describes 
-events as they happen and asks you questions from time to time. 
+   events as they happen and asks you questions from time to time. 
  - the Stats area (to the right of the Map) contains various indicators of 
-your health and abilities. 
+   your health and abilities. 
 
  EXPLORING 
 
-Try walking around, using either the numeric keypad (turn numlock off) or the 
-hjklyubn keys. To move in a given direction until you reach something 
-interesting or see a hostile creature, press shift and the direction. 
+Try walking around, using either the numeric keypad (try numlock off and on) or 
+the Rogue (hjklyubn) keys. To move in a given direction until you reach 
+something interesting or see a hostile creature, press shift and the direction. 
 
 If you want to know what a certain character on the screen represents, you can 
-use the 'x' (examine) command to get a short description. You use the 'o' 
-(open) command to open doors, and the '<' (up) and '>' (down) commands to 
+use the 'x' (examine) command to get a short description. You use the 'o', 'c' 
+commands to open or close doors, and the '<' (up) and '>' (down) commands to 
 climb staircases. Sometimes doors are hidden, and must be searched out by 
 standing next to walls and resting (a number of commands do the same thing: 
 's', '.' (period), delete, or '5' on the numeric keypad). 
@@ -63,7 +61,7 @@ command, which uses the whole screen.
 
  ITEMS 
 
- After walking around for a while, you will no doubt come across some items 
+After walking around for a while, you will no doubt come across some items 
 laying around (you may come across some monsters as well; for help in dealing 
 with them skip to the Monsters section). You can pick up items with the 'g' 
 (get) or ',' commands and drop them again with 'd' (drop), and the 'i' 
@@ -73,15 +71,15 @@ There are several different types of items:
 
  - Weapons, represented by the ) sign. Wield them with the 'w' (wield) 
 command. Some weapons are cursed and cannot be un-wielded without the use of 
-magic. 
+magic.
 
- - Armour (]). Wear it with the 'W' (Wear) command, and remove it with 'T' 
+ - Armour ([). Wear it with the 'W' (Wear) command, and remove it with 'T' 
 (Take off). Heavier armours give more protection, but may hamper your ability 
-to fight and to dodge attacks aimed at you. 
+to fight and to dodge attacks aimed at you. These can also be cursed.
 
- - Ammunition (also the ) sign). Throw it with 't' (throw). Darts are meant to 
-be thrown by hand; other missiles need an appropriate launcher to be wielded 
-(eg arrows are much more effective when shot with a bow).
+ - Ammunition (which has the ( sign). Throw it with 't' (throw). Darts are 
+meant to be thrown by hand; other missiles need an appropriate launcher to be 
+wielded (eg arrows are much more effective when shot with a bow).
 
  - Wands (/), Scrolls (?) and Potions (!) can be very valuable, but have 
 limited uses (scrolls and potions can only be used once each, wands contain 
@@ -93,7 +91,7 @@ example, a potion of healing, you will in future recognise all potions of
 healing. 
 
  - Rings (=) and Amulets (") often contain powerful magic, but it can be 
-difficult to work out exactly what one does. They are put on with 'P' (Put on) 
+difficult to work out exactly what one does. They are put on with 'P' (put on) 
 and removed with 'R' (remove), but can, like weapons, be cursed. 
 
  - Food (%) is vital to your survival. Eat it with the 'e' (eat) command when 
@@ -104,9 +102,9 @@ player-character dislike eating raw flesh unless very hungry.
  - Money ($) can be used to buy stuff in shops, and increases your score if 
 you escape. 
 
-There are a few other types of item, but you will discover these as you play. 
+There are a few other types of items, but you will discover these as you play. 
 
-One vital command to remember when dealing with items is 'V' (View), which 
+One vital command to remember when dealing with items is 'v' (View), which 
 gives you a short description of any item. Use it on everything you find. The 
 magical Scroll of Identify can also help for identifying magical items of 
 uncertain nature. 
@@ -119,35 +117,32 @@ is occupying.
 
 When you are wounded you lose hit points (displayed near the top of the stats 
 list); these return gradually over time through the natural process of 
-healing. If you lose all of your hp you Die. 
+healing. If you lose all of your hp you die. 
 
 To survive, you will need to develop a few basic tactics:
  - Never fight more than one monster if you can help it. Always back into a 
-corridor so that they must fight you one-on-one. 
+   corridor so that they must fight you one-on-one. 
  - If you are badly wounded, you can run away from monsters to buy some time. 
-Try losing them in corridors, or find a place where you can run around in 
-circles to heal while the monster chases you. 
+   Try losing them in corridors, or as a very last resort find a place where 
+   you can run around in circles to heal while the monster chases you. 
+ - Remember to use projectiles before engaging monsters in close combat.
  - Rest between encounters. The 's', '.', delete or keypad-5 commands make you 
-rest for one turn, while pressing '5' or shift-and-keypad-5 make you rest for 
-a longer time (you will stop resting when fully healed). 
+   rest for one turn, while pressing '5' or shift-and-keypad-5 make you rest 
+   for a longer time (you will stop resting when fully healed). 
  - Learn when to run away from things you can't handle - this is important! 
+   It is often wise to skip a dangerous level. But don't overdo this.
 
  DEATH 
 
 Before long, you'll probably end up dead. 
  
-Death in Crawl is permanent; you cannot just reload a saved game and start 
-again where you left off. The 'S' (Save) command exists only to let you leave 
-a game part-way through and come back to it later. Quitting ('Q') is a way of 
-committing suicide if you can't even be bothered to help your character escape 
-from the Dungeon alive. 
-
-
+Death in Crawl is permanent; you cannot just reload a saved game and start again
+where you left off. The 'S' (save) command exists only to let you leave a game 
+part-way through and come back to it later. Quitting ('Q') lets you commit
+suicide if you can't even be bothered to help your character escape alive. 
 
 Well, that's it for the quick-start guide. This should help you through your 
 first few games, but Crawl is extremely (some would say excessively) complex 
 and cannot be adequately described in so short a document. So when you feel 
-ready to start playing with magic, skills, religions, the arcane intricacies 
-of the initfile and a whole heap of other stuff, glance through the manual. 
+ready to start playing with magic, skills, and religions, browse the manual.
 Happy Crawling! 
-